How to Diagnose Ear Problems

There are numerous kinds of ear problems, the most common being pain, infection and build-up of excessive earwax. Ears are the organs responsible for receiving sounds and processing them so your brain can understand the processed signals, so anything that interferes with the function of your ears can be a major obstacle in your daily life. Ear problems can be easily diagnosed and, though they can be complex, treatments are available.

Instructions

• 1

  If you hear fluid in your ear or feel pressure or stuffiness that will not clear by coughing, swallowing or yawning, and you are experiencing flu or cold symptoms, it could be discomfort caused by a blocked eustachian tube. This is common with flu and colds.

• 2

  If your ear is swollen, itches and hurts when you pull on your earlobe or ear, it could be a ruptured eardrum.

• 3

  If your jaw cracks when you open your mouth or chew, or you feel tenderness in your jaw, it could be temporomandibular joint syndrome (TMJ), a disease that affects the joint of the jaw, causing pain.

• 4

  If your ear canal is draining out blood or thick pus after a sharp, sudden pain, you may have a ruptured eardrum.

• 5

  If your ear pain occurred during a plane flight or after you traveled on a plane, you may have barotrauma, also called airplane ear, which is caused by changes in air pressure and altitude.

• 6

  If there is fluid draining out of your ear and it is accompanied by deep pain and fever, you may have otitis media, a middle ear infection.

• 7

  If you don't notice any redness or pain in the your ear but you are having problems hearing, you may have a build-up of wax in your ear canal (ceruminosis) or a build-up of fluid (serous otitis).